1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and processing method which supply a processing liquid to an object, such as an LCD substrate, and process the object with the processing liquid.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display (LCD), in general, in order to form, for example, an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin film or an electrode pattern on an LCD substrate (glass substrate), a lithography method similar to that for the manufacture of a semiconductor device has been employed whereby a series of processing steps including transferring a circuit pattern, etc., in reduced form on a photoresist and subjecting it to developing process, is carried out.
For example, a rectangular LCD substrate (an object to be processed), after being washed by a washing device, is subjected by an adhesion processing device to hydrophobic treatment and it is cooled by a cooling device. Thereafter, a photoresist film is coated on the resultant LCD substrate by means of a resist coating device. At a heat treating device, a baking step is effected to heat the photoresist film and, after the substrate is exposed with light of a predetermined pattern with the use of an exposing device, the exposed LCD substrate is developed with a developing solution by a developing device, followed by the washing of the developed substrate with a rinse. By doing so, a developing process is completed.
In the process as set out above, a developing solution is applied to the surface of an object such as an LCD substrate by means of a spin coating, a spraying or other methods. As one of such processing methods, a paddle type developing system is known according to which a developing solution is jetted by a developing solution supply nozzle having a linear array of nozzle holes, so as to cover the whole surface of the LCD substrate to allow the developing solution to be deposited under a surface tension on a photoresist film on the surface of the LCD substrate so that, upon standing for a predetermined time period, developing is performed on those exposed or unexposed areas of the resist.
In this type of conventional developing system, for example, an LCD substrate of a relatively large area is scanned, with a nozzle, across its whole width and, while this is so done, a developing solution is coated on the LCD substrate, thus tending to use more developing solution than a practically necessary amount. Such a developing solution, after a lapse of a predetermined time, is washed away with a rinse, thus consuming more developing solution and incurring more costs.
In order to solve the problem above it is conceived that the developing solution can be separated from a mixed solution of a used developing solution and rinse. Since, however, not only the developing solution and rinse but also fine dust, etc., on the LCD substrate and associated device enters into a resulting solution, a complex and expensive recycle processing apparatus is required for a developing solution to be recycled from the mixed solution.